Catastrophe Practice (28 page)

Anderson looks up
.

Dionysus, coming round with his end of the
partition towards the edge of the first floor, looks round apprehensively, as if he might fall over. He kicks the cleaning rods, and his flute, over the edge of the first floor. They fall on, or around, the nest by the footlights. Anderson shouts
—

Anderson pulls at his stove again. He manages to shift it as if the pipe going up from it has been further loosened by the Moor and Dionysus shifting the partition above him. The flue-pipe comes away from the ceiling with a bang. Then Anderson scrambles, quickly, and goes and stands with his hands up underneath his ceiling on the left
.

Hortense is sitting on the bed holding her stomach
.

Dionysus, holding the front end of the partition, has been nearly pushed over the edge of the first floor. He manages to scramble round to the Moor's side of the partition. Anderson is holding up, with difficulty, the first floor on the left
.

The partition is in place again on its back-to-front axis in the middle of the first floor — but this time with Siva's head towards the right, and both the Moor and Dionysus to the left — the Moor at the back and Dionysus at the front. Siva speaks looking up at the grille
.

Dionysus and the Moor seem to be apprehensive about being on the same side of the partition. They keep close to it, their backs pressed against it, as if to try to stop the floor tilting to the left
.

Anderson, with his hands underneath the first floor, left, seems to be holding it up with difficulty. He calls
—

Florence says as if amused
—

She stands. She rests with her hands on the table, as if a session is over
.

Dionysus stretches out with a foot as if to reach for the dummy body of Siva which is on the ground in front of him, at the left front edge of the first floor. As a result of his doing this, the ground of the first floor suddenly gives way, down on the left, with a bang — the whole of the first floor being on a central back-to-front hinge. The area of the first floor that pivots is just short of what remains of the Moor's stacked books and stove at the back on the left, and of Dionysus' bed at the back on the right: these remain on ledges on the old first floor
.

Anderson, with his hands up, just manages to prevent the left end of the first floor coming down further. He calls —

Hortense puts her head in her hands
.

Dionysus, on his back, reaches with his foot the dummy body of Siva and pushes it over the edge of the first floor. It falls on Florence's table; Florence brushes at her clothes, as if annoyed. There are two more cracks, or bangs, as if of gunfire, as the first floor comes down on the left a little further
.

Florence steps within the structure and stands there looking up
.

Siva, with her legs tipping downwards, is trying to find a foothold on the left side of the partition and is pushing with her hands against the right side of the partition which is now facing slightly up
.

The Moor is pushing with his back against the left-hand side of the partition towards the right — as if he were trying to balance it to take the weight off Anderson, which he can't do. Dionysus is pulling himself back to the central partition, as if to help the Moor
.

It is as if, in spite of themselves, they are all suddenly laughing
.

Florence puts her hands up against the lower-level ceiling as if to help Anderson hold it. Dionysus turns and tries to reach with an arm round the front end of the partition to his old side on the right
.

Florence lowers her hands
.

Siva looks to where Dionysus' arm is coming round the partition
.

At the back, left, the Moor edges along the partition to the front as if he is on a mountain ledge. He gets close to Dionysus
.

Siva stretches a hand towards the front end of the partition as if to try to catch Dionysus' hand and help him round to the right side of the partition
.

Anderson is trying to lower the left edge of the old first floor. Florence, helping him, is with him underneath it
.

With the help of the Moor, behind him, Dionysus manages to edge, precariously, halfway round the front end of the partition
.

Dionysus manages, with Siva's help in front of him, to scramble round the partition into his old room on the right Then he moves up the sloping floor to the right as he does this, he seems to take the weight off Anderson, who scrambles to the outside, left, of the old first floor
.

Anderson looks over the top edge of the end of the first floor, which he is holding
.

They all seem to become serious again. Dionysus reaches to the centre of his old room, right, and pulls the wire down through the ceiling. The wire from the ceiling of the Moor's room is pulled up. Dionysus pulls the wire right through and coils it. Then he lies on his back, his legs against the partition on either side of Siva, and takes her by the hands. He seems to be trying to pull Siva out of the hole, and over him. The Moor, kneeling, moves slightly back to the left, and pushes against Siva's legs
.

Anderson lets go of the left-hand end of the first floor gingerly
.

The floor remains balanced
.

Anderson calls
—

Hortense, on the bed, looks out over the audience
.

Florence turns to her
.

Dionysus manages to pull Siva out of the hole and on to him. He pushes her up towards the raised edge of the top floor, right. She gets a hand-hold there. Then he passes the coiled wire up to her
.

Anderson has had to lean on the top of the left-hand edge of the first floor, to balance it
.

Siva has clambered up so she has one leg over the raised end of the first floor, right. She lowers an end of the wire down to Dionysus, who takes it
.

The Moor has moved backwards, to the left, on his hands and knees, to balance the floor
.

Siva seems to be trying to pull Dionysus up to the raised edge of the first floor, right
.

With Dionysus being pulled to the right, the Moor is moving further to the left of the floor, to balance it
.

The Moor suddenly seems to lose his grip. He slides back to the left-hand edge of the first floor
.

With the shifting of the Moor's weight, the first floor, on its central back-to-front hinge, has dipped down on the left so that Anderson has to put his hands underneath it again to hold it. Florence, underneath it, ducks
.

At the same time Siva, with the wire, has managed to help Dionysus to scramble up to the top edge of the first floor, right
.

The floor now seems to tip the other way Anderson has to put his hands on top of the left end of it again to hold it
.

The Moor manages to get his feet down over the left edge of the first floor. He helps Anderson. The floor seems to balance, precariously
.

The first floor is now at an angle of about 30° to the horizontal — up on the right, down on the left
.

Anderson and the Moor and Siva and Dionysus
hold the balance, as if on a see-saw, gingerly
.

Florence has gone and stood by Hortense, who is on the bed, looking at the audience. The Moor and Anderson and Siva and Dionysus speak, holding the balance
.

Florence stands looking down at Hortense
.

She stares at the audience
.

Has it got one —

Hortense stands facing the audience
.